1. Technical Field
Aspects of the present invention relate to a network facsimile system that transmits/received images to/from an external device in accordance with a facsimile data transmission protocol.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, a facsimile system in which a facsimile image is transmitted from an origin station to a destination station via a relaying server has been known. In such a system, the relaying server receives the facsimile image from the origin station and transmits the same to the destination station.
U.S. Application Publication No. US 2002/0069254 A1 discloses a method for an e-mail transmission control. According to this publication, the server receives an e-mail message transmitted from an origin station. The e-mail message contains a telephone number of the destination, and the server identifies the e-mail address of the destination based on the telephone number and transfer the e-mail message to the destination. Therefore, even if a user at the origin station does not know the e-mail address of the destination, the e-mail message can be sent to the destination. Thus, when a facsimile image is transmitted as an attachment of the e-mail message, the user at the origin station can send the facsimile image with the disclosed system similarly to a case where a normal facsimile machine is used.
Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. HEI 6-164645 discloses a system in which facsimile data is transmitted as au e-mail message. According to the publication, at an origin station (facsimile terminal), a sub address corresponding to a destination station is input. The relaying server identifies the destination based on the sub address, and transmits the facsimile data to the destination as identified.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,230,189 B1 discloses a similar system.
Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. P2002-199150A discloses a system for transmitting facsimile images among devices of which telephone numbers and e-mail addresses are registered in advance. A destination and/or a relaying server is identified based on the registered information, and the facsimile images are transmitted to the thus identified destination and/or relaying server.
Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. P2000-41063 discloses a system in which a communication is transmitted to a changeable destination. For example, when a user checks in a hotel, information indicating the check-in of the user is transmitted to the user's office, and facsimile and/or e-mail is transmitted to the user.
Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. HEI 06-268831 discloses a security system for a facsimile service in a hotel. According to this publication, when a user inputs a dial-in number through a facsimile device in the user's room for registration. After the registration, the user can uses the facsimile service.
In the conventional network facsimile systems as listed above, there are two problems in comparison with a normal facsimile system in which two facsimile devices are connected through a public telephone line.
In the normal facsimile system the user at the origin station only need to input the telephone number of the destination to send a facsimile transmission. On the contrary, in the conventional network facsimile systems, the user at the origin station and/or the user at the destination station is required to perform some preparation settings. For example, registration of the information (telephone number, e-mail address etc.) of the origin station and/or destination station, or incorporating predetermined information in an evil message attaching a facsimile image. Such information is handled by the relaying server, and based on that, the e-mail message is transmitted to the destination station. For example, according to the Japanese Patent provisional publication No. P2000-41063A the user can use the facsimile machine. However, for this purpose, the user had to register/input some information to be used by the relaying server.
When a facsimile transmission is performed between two facsimile machines through a telephone line, a transmission condition is generally indicated on a display of each facsimile machine. For example, on the transmitting side facsimile machine, messages such as “dialing”, “transmitting”, “transmission completed” or “transmission error” are displayed depending on the current transmission status. Further, if the facsimile machine has a redialing function, a status “redial stand-by state” or “dialing” may be displayed. On the destination facsimile machine, a message “receiving”, “reception completed” or “reception (transmission) error” is displayed, depending on the current status of the facsimile machine.
According to the conventional network facsimile system described above that is, the facsimile image is transmitted by e-mail through the relaying server, the following deficiencies arise. Firstly, the user at the origin station can know the transmission status from the origin communication terminal to the relaying server, but cannot know the status from the relaying server to the destination station in real time. Secondly, the user of the destination station can know the transmission status from the relaying server to the destination communication terminal, but cannot know the status from the origin station to the relaying server in real time. Therefore, even if the transmission from the origin station to the relaying server is completed successfully, there could be a case where an error occurs in the transmission from the relaying server to the destination station. In such a case, the user of the origin station may note not realize the occurrence of the error, which would not occur in the normal facsimile system. Further, when an error occurs in the transmission from the relaying server to the destination, it is recognized by the user of the destination station. However, if an error occurs in the transmission from the origin station to the relaying server, the user of the destination station would not know the attempt of transmission directed to the destination station, which would not occur in the normal facsimile system.
As above, according to the conventional network facsimile system, the users need to take the existence of the relaying server into account when transmitting facsimile images.